Defrost system and fan working perfectly.still the lower part not cooling. What can I do.

Hello Jim;

My name is Peter. I am a retired field service refrigeration technician.

If you are getting cooling and not freezing your problem is not your overload relay or capacitor, otherwise you would get no cooling at all.

You have one of 4 potential problems.

1.) Frozen Drain - This is a common problem. Your unit goes through a defrost cycle every 8-10 hours, everything shuts down for about 20-30 minutes. This is when your defrost heater turns on and defrost your cooling (evaporator) coil. If your drain is frozen, a wall of ice builds up behind your lower back wall. This prevents the cooling fan from running and air flow through the cooling coils.

You need to remove the lower back cover to see what is going on. there are several screws holding it on. First remove the rubber seals on both sides. They just pull out.

If it is a block of ice, use a hair dryer to melt the ice and clear the drain. Do not try to chip away, you will damage the coils.

2.) If you observe the cooling coil fan not running and vibrating, then you need to replace the fan.

Part Number: Substitution: 3-60336-001 Cost from Sears: $115.00. You can search the internet and get this part for about $80.00.

3.) Defrost Heater - You may have a bad defrost heater. Observe, is the glass tube black or is the wire inside broken?
Part Number: Substitution: 3-80405-003 Cost: $40.00

4.) Refrigerant leak or obstruction - If you observe a block of ice in the upper right hand corner of your cooling coil, then you either have a leak or an obstruction. A repair of this nature with a service company is about $500.00.

5.) Bad Bi-Metl (Thermostat) - In the upper right corner is your cooling coil thermostat.

Part Number: Substitution: 1-81801-001 Cost: $30.00

If you observe the flat back has popped open, then replace.

Hello there,
If your refrigerator is not cooling, but is running perfectly, you will have to test the defrost thermostat, defrost heater and the defrost timer, when you test them, replace the faulty part and it will work perfectly fine.
If that does not solve the problem, then check the door switch. Make sure you check the refrigerator if it is still having gas in the cylinder. If there is no gas the refrigerator will be working perfectly fine but will never get cool.
Hope this helped. All the best Elect_Comp

Hello there,
If your refrigerator is not cooling, but is running perfectly, you will have to test the door switch, defrost thermostat, defrost heater and the defrost timer, when you test them, replace the faulty part and it will work perfectly fine.
If that does not solve the problem, then check the door switch. Make sure you check the refrigerator if it is still having gas in the cylinder. If there is no gas the refrigerator will be working perfectly fine but will never get cool.
Hope this helps. All the best Elect_Comp

You have a problem with the automatic defrost system. It could be the defrost timer or defrost heater or termination theromstat. You woulld have to check them to see what part is bad. Hope this helped. I don't know if you have the knowledge or the tools to repair it yourself or if you need to call repair tech.

All cooling takes place in the freezer (bottom, in your case). Freezer air must be circulated into the fresh food compartment to cool it. There is a fan in the freezer called the evaporator fan, which is supposed to do this job.
1. You have a blockage in the return vent to the freezer. Remove item that is on the floor of the fresh food section and find this return vent (hole or passageway) and prove to yourself that it is clear.
2. Freezer fan is not working. You should hear it when opening the freezer door. Some units shut opff when the door is open, so see if pushing the button that turns off the freezer light does that too. If not working find out why. Fan blade stuck on something? Motor seized? Replace failed motor.
3. Defrost system has failed, allowing ice build-up on the evaporator (behind freezer back wall). Test heater, defrost limiting thermostat, and defrost timer circuit. If a circuit board determines defrost cycle timing, replace it if the def. thermostat and heater are good.

You post is not clear as to where the freeze-up is occurring. I'm going to assume the outdoor unit is frozen up.
Heat Pumps don't generally freeze up at 60 degrees. If the ice around the unit has an uneven pattern (for example a thick spot around the center or at the very bottom) could indicate a low refrigerant charge. If the ice is even throughout, it may be one of the following:
*Sticking Contactor*.....turn the system off at your thermostat and check to make sure the unit outside shut off. If it doesn't turn off, it is likely to be the contactor.
*Failed Defrost Thermostat*.....if the defrost thermostat fails "open", the system will never go into defrost.
*Failed Defrost Control Board*......this could also prevent the system from going into defrost
*Failed Reversing Valve*........put your system in COOL mode and check to see if it will blow cold air inside approx 16 - 22 degF lower than room temperature.
*Failed/Failing Condensor Fan Motor*.......ensure the condenser fan motor is running during heat and cool modes. The condensor fan motor will not run in OFF/Satisfied Mode or in Defrost Mode.
I hope this helps. Good Luck! :-)

Sounds like the unit may be dirty or the fan is not moving enough air. Most Dehumidifiers do not have a defrost cycle. Air is drawn over the evaporator where moisture condenses and drops out, the air then passes over the condenser where it is reheated. The cool air helps cool the high side lowering system pressures and improving efficiencies. If the filters etc are clean and all the ducts and shrouds are in place and it still freezes you probably have a bad fan motor or possible a small refrigerant leak.
Good Luck,
Gilshultz

Most units have the cooling coils in the freezer section, then some vents and a fan circulates cold air into the refrigerator section.

If the vents are blocked by food items or ice, then the fridge will be too warm. Also, if the air circulation fan has failed, then cold air from the freezer will not get to the refrigerator.

On a self-defrosting refrigerator, this can be a sign that the defrost timer, defrost heater, or related part has failed. If the cooling coils are packed with ice, then airflow to the refrigerator does not occur.

Typically there is a electromechanical timer that you can see if you take off the lower front panel...this timer switch can be set so the defrost cycle happens when you want (like late at night).

You can also manually turn the switch to start the defrost cycle. Normally you hear the sound of water running and the scorch-hiss sound of an electric heater element touching water/ice when the defrost is taking place. The refrigerator compressor and cooling fan will typically be off during defrost as well.

If any part of the automatic defrosting system isn't working, the evaporator will turn into an iceberg and no cold air will circulate into the lower compartment.

Possible causes in that case could be the defrost timer, the defrost thermostat ("bimetal"), the defrost heater, the defrost thermal fuse (if there is one), or the wiring and plugs connecting them.

Removing the back panel of the freezer compartment should reveal the iceberg and allow you to defrost it with a hair dryer or fan. Then you can get at the parts to test them (except the defrost timer, which may be down by the compressor).

IS THERE AIR FLOW INTO REFRIGERATOR PUT YOUR HAND BY THE DAMPER AND FEEL FOR COLD AIR IF NO AIR IS THE MOTOR FAN INSIDE FREEZER WORKING AT ALL IF NOT REPL IT THATS WHAT SEND AIR TO THE TOP PART IF IS RUNNING THE IT MIGHT BE A DEFROST PROBLEM DSICONNECT FOR 2 DAYS IF WORK OK CALL A TECH TO FIND WHAT PART IS FAILING ON THE DEFROST SYSTEM